Apparatus for locking metal frames together



Oct. 12, 1943. K. MAYNE 2,331,709

APPARATUS FOR L GCKING METAL FRAMES TOGETHER Filed Dec. 28, 1940 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 12, 1943.

1.. K. MAYNE APPARATUS FOR LOCKING yETAb FRAMES TOGETHER Filed Dec. 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR I 474! A. M4V/Vf Patented Oct. 12, 1943 y UNITED, STATES PATENT *orr cej V I "2331,7991; APPARATUS FOR LO'CKING METAL j i JFRAMES TOGETHER. p ;K. Maynm' l iinden, N. 1., assignor' to Amer-L, can'Cyanamid'and Chemical Corporation, Ne,w

York, N." Y., a corporation of Delaware 7 ,V f a pli ant December 28, 1940, Serial No. 372,088; '1 f ""Z Claima; (ci' ss sl i The. present invention relatesto an' apparatus for locking metal frames together and constitutes an improvement uponthe invention of my copendingapplication Serial I No. 284,625, filed July 15, 1939, now U. S. Patent 2,241,266, issued May 6, 1941. Q

There is on the market today a building unit which includes a precast slab ofset cementitious material of gypsum or the like having tongued and grooved metallic edge members. 7 I

A preferred manner of constructingthe frame of this unit is, first, to form a shape by passing a hot rolled galvanized steel strip through requisite punches and forming dies to shape it into a channel element having a web and flanges at 7 each end of the web, with terminal portions of the flanges extending atan angle thereto and constituting strengthening portions.

As usually made, there are two such channel member'athe web of one including a tongue and the web of the other including a groove; Each of-*'theseshapes is thenbent to form twosides ofa rectangular frame and the two thus formed sections. joined. together to make" a rectangular. frame by inserting fiat angular locking pieces into the corners. I

These open metal frames. are then placed up on molding tables and the plastic cementitious mix poured thereinto and permittedto'set. The precast shapes arethen' subjectedto a drying temperature and the slabs are ready'forv usefl While the above method of manufactiirej of the frames is eminently satisfactory, yet itlis the purpose of this invention to accomplish the sameend ina cheaper manner with the same degree of efiiciency.

To this end, the invention contemplates in its broadest aspect, the forming of channel mem-' bers which will eventually constitute a frame, from hot or cold rolled metallic strips by passing them through requisite dies and rolls and 1 so that when finally rolled, an extension will be provided on the strengthening portions of the flanges and these made to engage isolated upstanding ears on an adjacent side of the frame and the frame sides thus locked together. The invention is here particularly concerned with --type of frame .bas'e;

mechanismifor e ging the extensionswith the ears. v v

The. invention is spe clfican y concerned with mechanism forlocking the parts of a metallic frame, theframe being of'anysh'ape and useful jfor anyfpurpose, where .the frame includes a metal-strip normallyadjacentjone edge. of, and *fatran'angle'to, a side of a metallic ear.

The mechanism of the invention Icontemplates a'bas'e to receive the frame parts, having two-apertures therein, and a tool having a shank, the-ze'nd of'which'is insertiblin oneof the apertures to act as a pivot, thetool ca'rrying" a cam finger which extends'ou'twardly from the shank and is engageable behind the metalstrip so that m tation of the tool cams the. strip aroundone side and edge of the ear. When the tool is then inserted in the second aperture and rotated in the opposite direction, the strip is then further cammedflat against. the opposite sideof the'ear,

and bottom strips'may'beoperated upon simultaneously to lock the frame together'at its top and bottom. a

The invention furtherconsists in the novel ar- 'rangeme'nt,v combination and construction of parts more fully;- hereinafter{described-and shown in the accompanying l drawings, in

Which Fig. '1" is a compositefragmentary view show--.

ingitheimanner'of initially bending of a specific and the placing of ituponthe Fig. 2 isa plan view'ofaframe in place ready for'locking operations; a k

Fig- 3isfia sideelevationof Fig. '2; a t a Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tool used for locking the corners together;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan View showing theposition of the tool of Fig. 4 at the start of the locking operation; I Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 5 showing the position of the parts at the end of the first camming operation;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation along the line Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing, how- I ever, the position of the parts at the end of the final camming operation.

Referring now to Fig. l, a fragment of a metallic frame is shown to consist of a lengthof,

strip metal formed either by hot or cold rolling and which has been passed through a punching thus locking the'parts of the-frame together. By providing a, pair of cam fingers on the tool, top

machine and cutter to give it the proper configuration. The strip is then bent by passing it through forming rolls in the usual manner so as to give it the configuration shown at the left hand end of Fig. 1. This shape then consists of a web I having flanges 2 at the side edge of the web, the side edges being provided with terminal portions 3 which serve to strengthen. the entire structure.

As shown in Fig. 1, during the forming operations, metal has been removed as at 4 from the side edge terminal portions so as to leave upstanding ears 5. Also. the side edge terminal portion 3 projects beyond the flange 2 so as to form an extension 6 at the part of theframe.

which is to be the eventual corner.

After the blank strip has been cut and formed into shape, the extreme right hand end is then bent in the direction of the arrow as shown in Fig. 1 and then placed upon base 1 between pairs of positioning lugs 8 so as to hold adjacent sides of the frame substantially at right angles to each other. As a consequence, the relative positions of the extension 6 and theupstanding ear 5" are as shown inllg. 5 for instance.

In locking the corners together, use is made of the tool oi Fig. 4, which includes a. shank 9, the end IOof which is used as a pivot point, the shank having a handle i l thereonand carrying a pair of outwardly and oppositely extending cam fingers l2 and I3.

At this point, the end ll! of the tool shank is inserted in an aperture II' in the base 1 so that the cam fingers l2 and I3 lie inside of the metal frame and behind the extensions i. The parts causes the projecting end of the extension 6 to be cammed completely over the edge of ear 5 and flat against its outside or front face so that the parts then occupy the position shown in Fig. 8. It will be observed that where the frame to be locked contains upper and lower side edge ter minal portions as shown and the tool of Fig. 4 having two cam fingers is used; both upper and lower extensions 6 are made to embrace their ears 5 simultaneously and in one set of operations.

' fastening parts 'a clockwise direction and as shown in Fig. 8

The other three corners of the rectangular frame may be locked together in exactly the same manner as above set forth.

It will be seen from the above that such a method of fastening the parts together or strengthening the corner in which the web is integral thereover is accomplished ina particularly simple manner.

If it is desired'to fill these frames with cementitious material such as gypsum or the like, the do not objectionably project which might otherwise interfere with the close "fitting of the parts during erection.

Obviously the frame may be formed from a single strip of sheet metal or more than one as the case may be. for even if a plurality of pieces are used, when the four corners are locked together in the manner indicated, a particularly rigid structure results.

While the invention has been shown and described with particular reference to specific embodiments, it is a) bEU-lidel'StOOd that it is not to be limited thereto but isto be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a mechanism for locking parts of a metallic frame together, where the frame inciudes a metallic strip normally adjacent one edge and at right angles to a side of a metallic ear, the combination of a base adapted to support the framethe base having two apertures therein, a tool having a shank, the end of which is insertable in either of the apertures to act asa pivot, a cam finger on the shank extending upwardly therefrom and adapted when the shank is inserted in one aperture to engage behind the said metal strip of the'frame, rotation of the tool while in the said aperture and in one direction, being adapted to cam the strip around one side and edge of the ear of the frame, rotation of the tool while in the other aperture'and in an opposite direction being adapted to cam the strip from the above position fiatagainst the other side of the said ear; to lock the parts of the irame together.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 in which the tool is provided with an additional and oppositely extending-cam finger similar in all respects to that first-mentioned, the secorid-mentioned cam finger being adapted to engage a second metal strip on the said frame to manipulate it around a second ear on the said frame simultaneously with the manipulation of? the first strip as abovementioned.

LYLE K. NAYNE. 

